A theory or meta-theory should provide a starting point for empirical analysis. With this in mind, what framework should we adopt for analyzing the transition to capitalism in Central Eastern Europe? I will sketch out a critique of some prominent existing paradigms and argue for the adoption of a “neoclassical sociological” approach.
The first approach I will consider is the Varieties of Capitalism paradigm. This approach is so well known that I need not repeat the details here (compare also Iankova, this volume). The VoC, while possessing some utility in explaining different labour-employer relationships between European countries, is inadequate for comparing advanced capitalist countries; and it is even less up to the task in CEE. Indeed, correcting for the deficiencies of VoC is a nice way to start thinking about categorizing different types of capitalism. First, VoC is ahistorical. Part of the appeal of VoC is that it provided a “soft-rational choice” framework, which has legitimized it with mainstream political science departments.